Nothing Happened Today.

Many nominees of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush were in
their early 40s, some even in their 30s, and with reputations as bold
conservatives. By contrast, Obama has frustrated some liberal interest
groups mainly by favoring older nominees over younger ones who might be
the Democratic equivalents of some of the Reagan and Bush picks. Obama's
two youngest appeals court nominees, Goodwin Liu and Caitlin Halligan,
were stymied by Republican filibusters in the Senate.

The average age of Obama-nominated appeals court judges is more than 55
years old, higher than any president's going back to Jimmy Carter,
according to the liberal interest group Alliance for Justice. The age of
these judges matters in an era when presidents regularly look to the
circuit appeals courts as the pool for Supreme Court candidates. Younger
judges have a chance to develop a record that presidents can examine,
yet still be young enough to be considered for the high court.

So by the time an Obama-appointed appellate judge is ready for the Supreme Court, they'll be at the mandatory retirement age for Florida state court judges.